Asian team wins the World Cup for the fourth time

The North Korea U17 women's team achieved a decisive win against the Netherlands, earning their fourth U17 Women's World Cup championship.

North Korea U17 women's team, the first-ever champion and current titleholder of the U17 Women's World Cup, has become the most successful team in the tournament's history by winning their fourth title at this World Cup edition. The Asian representatives defeated newcomers the Netherlands with the largest margin ever recorded in a final match of the competition.

In the final, the North Korean girls started confidently and dominated from the beginning, adopting a direct style of play to break through the Dutch defense. They scored the opening goal within 14 minutes thanks to Kim Won-sim, before Pak Rye-yong quickly doubled the lead.

Although they ceded some ball possession, the North Korea U17 women fully controlled the game and added a third goal before the first half ended, courtesy of Ri Ui-gyong. Even with Jong Hyang-yu, the tournament's top scorer (8 goals), not scoring, the East Asian team comfortably defended their title with a 3-0 victory over the Netherlands U17 women, who are the current U17 Women's Euro champions.

With this championship, coach Ri Yu Il's squad made history as the first team to win four world titles at this level (2006, 2016, 2024, and 2025). They also set a new record by successfully defending their crown for two consecutive years, a feat previously achieved only by Spain.

This is also the first time the U17 Women's World Cup has been held two years in a row, following FIFA's decision to make this youth tournament an annual event to provide more playing opportunities for young talents worldwide. This year's edition was expanded to 24 teams, hosted in Morocco, with four teams making their debut.

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